Female Infertility and Treatments

Female Infertility Diagnosis

Conditions that have long been considered as causes of infertility are:

failure to ovulate

tubal obstruction

Endometriosis

poor development of uterine lining

pelvic adhesions

mucus factors

uterine fibroids

In addition to these traditional causes, modern diagnostic techniques and new information obtained from in vitro fertilization have revealed other causes for previously unexplained infertility:

Egg quality

Failure of sperm to penetrate the egg

Failure to release an egg at the time of apparent ovulation

Immunological problems may prevent fertilization and/or implantation of the embryo

Factors such as scar tissue and endometriosis have been found to often be associated with inadequate ovulation or failure to fertilize.

Female Infertility Treatments

We believe that the best fertility clinics are able and willing to provide not just one type of treatment, but a complete range of therapies, from treatment of genital tract infection, management of difficult problems of ovulation induction or other hormonal problems, microsurgery, laser surgery, laparoscopic laser surgery, to the more complex treatments of IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ISCI).

Our staff represents experts in all of these types of treatment and freely transfers patients to the physician whose expertise matches their needs. We do not believe that all patients have to have laparoscopy or major surgery or even IVF procedures. In cases where other treatment has been tried and failed, we use the procedures indicated.

Our infertility treatment philosophy and our experience, proven by thousands of successes, is that many couples' infertility is successfully treated by non-surgical means. We attempt these treatments first, except in cases where the necessity for surgery is obvious.

Infections of cervical mucus and sperm are readily treated by antibiotics.

Ovulation dysfunction is treated in a staged fashion. At least three months of ovulation induction is allowed before moving to more advanced therapy.

Low sperm counts, depending on severity, are treated first by correcting infection. In severe cases, the husband is referred for additional treatment by a urologist.

Endometriosis or pelvic scar tissue due to infection or previous surgery may be treated laparoscopic laser surgery. Medical treatment is prescribed for some endometriosis.

If fallopian tubes are open, we allow patients time to conceive before considering more advanced procedures.

Finally, when other treatments have failed to result in pregnancy, we recommend assisted reproductive technologies (ART). We believe that individualizing treatment for each couple is needed, rather than using one treatment for all.